Organisations do not invest in talent management programmes

Lack of buy-in from senior directors prevents many talent management initiatives from getting off the ground, according to research from technology consultancy Diagonal Consulting.

More than one third of the 100 HR directors who took part in the survey said that company bosses often put little value on HR projects, so it was incredibly hard to win their support.

Nine out of 10 organisations do not bother with a formal talent management scheme, while 69% rely on basic procedures such as appraisals or development plans. Only one in five carries out questionnaires on employee engagement.

Most HR directors (83%) also criticised business managers for failing to communicate properly – including information about major changes such as mergers and acquisitions, as well as talent management programmes or other HR initiatives.

Diagonal Consulting’s HR practice head, Jason Kiely, said: “Every project faces difficulty getting buy-in from the board, so it is crucial for the HR department to clearly show the benefits – for the company and for employees – of implementing a talent management system.”